This invention relates to novel removably mountable deflecting devices which aid in maintaining the windshield of a motor vehicle free from bugs, insects, road grime, etc. More particularly, the invention relates to deflecting devices mountable magnetically to a metallic hood of a motor vehicle to provide an efficient deflection of bugs, etc., away from the windshield during movement of the vehicle.
An annoying and difficult problem encountered in driving a motor vehicle is maintaining a clean windshield. Air currents encountered and created by the motor vehicle during movement can carry various contaminants such as road grime, dust, dirt, bugs, insects, etc., as well as rain, snow and sleet which can impinge on a windshield. Periodically, it becomes necessary and an inconvenience to clean the windshield to remove these contaminants. In particular, bugs and insects can splatter and stick to windshields, which on hot days become baked tenaciously to the surface of the windshield. Removal of these insects and bugs from the windshield is especially difficult.
Many devices have been developed for deflecting the air currents carrying the bugs, grime, etc., to prevent contact with the windshield. Many of the devices are of the permanent installation type requiring holes to be drilled into the body of the motor vehicle for their installation. Typical devices of this type are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,815,700 and 3,831,969. Prior patents also disclose deflector devices which are not permanently installed and are held in place by suction cups which attach to the surface of the hood of the vehicle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,220,715 discloses deflector devices which are sheet metal vane plates which can be inclined to any vertical angle, and are secured to the hood of the vehicle by suction cups. U.S. Pat. No. 2,236,846 discloses deflector devices which are glass plates and are capable of being inclined to any vertical angle, and are secured to the hood by suction cups.
Although the devices discussed above perform their intended function fairly satisfactory, it is undesirable and expensive to have permanently installed deflector devices, which also present a problem in washing the vehicle. Furthermore, those disclosed as being held with suction cups do not adhere in a perfectly secure manner, and can present a dangerous and annoying problem in the event one of the suction cups becomes detached from the surface and the device becomes dislodged from the hood while the car is in motion. Thus, although the above prior art devices aid in deflecting matter from a vehicle's windshield, their use has been limited and not particularly satisfactory.